Normally, when one of the family members starts to have a runny nose, almost no one pays attention to this. Having instilled a nose several times with cheap pharmacy drops, this scourge can be easily dealt with. But only if it is not about newborn babies. And how to treat a runny nose in infants? Let's listen to what experts say on this topic.
First of all, you need to get rid of the mucus that has accumulated in the nose with the help of a special simple tool called an aspirator. The aspirator looks like a medium-sized container with a round silicone tip. This tip needs to be pressed to the baby’s nostril, while the mucus, when pumped out, immediately falls into a closed container. Of course, it is impossible to cure a runny nose in this way, but to help the baby breathe is quite possible.
In addition, it is important to prevent the mucus from thickening or drying out. If the child breathes easier while swimming or walking, this indicates that the air in your apartment is too dry. This often happens in the midst of the heating season. This problem can be dealt with using special humidifiers or more affordable means: wet rags on batteries, wide tanks with water and regular ventilation.
How to treat a runny nose in infants? To begin with, experts recommend paying attention to folk remedies that do not contain any chemical additives. For example, you can use a salt solution. Dissolve half a teaspoon of salt in 100 grams of water (preferably sea food). 2-3 drops of a warm solution should be instilled into the baby’s nose. If the procedure is carried out for the first time, the child may sneeze and cough, the procedure itself will be quite painful for him, but after several times the mucous membrane will get used to such an effect. You need to drip every 30-60 minutes.
Speaking about how to treat a runny nose in infants, it is also worth noting that you can increase the effectiveness of saline by adding onion or beetroot juice to it. Onion juice is added to the water in a proportion of 1:10, and beetroot - 1: 5. This will help cure a runny nose much faster.
There is also a painless way to cope with a runny nose. You will need a solution (oil) of vitamin A. You can buy it at almost any pharmacy. Vitamin A helps strengthen and restore the mucous membranes, relieves irritation. For the same purpose, some mothers lubricate the nasal passages with sea buckthorn oil to their children.
A runny nose in a child (3 months - 1 year) can be treated with garlic oil. Two cloves of garlic need to be chopped, and then pour with sterilized vegetable oil (50 grams). The medicine should be infused during the day, and then 2-3 times a day you need to lubricate the nose of the crumbs with it.
Discussing the topic of
how to treat a runny nose in infants at home, it is worth mentioning about alternative methods of treatment. For example, rubbing in the feet of the Vietnamese Zvezdochka balm or falling asleep in the socks of a small amount of mustard, according to some mothers, is better than fighting colds.
What kind of cold medicine for children can I ask at the pharmacy? If you still decide not to experiment with home-made medicines, you can buy saline or Aqua Maris saline. The herbal preparation Isofra has proven itself very well. But adults’s usual means of narrowing the vessels are strictly forbidden to use to treat the common cold in small children.